That Happy Story
by Captain Pagie
Summary: It's a long complicated story.' Charlie smiled. 'Another happy story to wait.' 'Exactly.' said Claire.
1. That Happy Story

That Happy Story

By:

LiL Pippin Padfoot

* * *

Disclaimer: _"Charlie, how did you escape?"_

_"Let's save that happy story for morning." _-LOST, Claire and Charlie

* * *

Chapter 1

Parties

* * *

"It's morning." said Claire

"Yes." said Charlie, "Beautiful, isn't it? Never saw sunrise like this in Britain, though, I was most likely awake at this time."

"Big partier?" she asked

"Rock-star, yeah." he said "Parties after every concert."

Claire smiled "I remember going to parties, then, I quit. You can guess why."

Charlie smiled, he knew. He looked at her "The parties? They weren't all the great." he said,

"When, before, I loved parties, the night life. Thomas and I would go to them all the time."

Charlie was silent.

"I wish, I really do, that I really could remember you, Charlie." said Claire "I really do. The only thing I could remember was that peanut butter."

"Peanut butter," said Charlie "Is something worth remembering, especially when one is stuck on an island with nothing but boar, fish, and," he waved his hand in the air "Polar bears." he said with a smile.

Claire laughed "That is one thing, I am glad I don't remember. Polar Bears."

"But it's worth remembering!" said Charlie jumping up to demonstrate. "Sawyer, the Southerner, one with the funny accent, was all like BAM BAM! And this gun went off! Then Kate, the girl with the brown hair, was like 'Where was that?' and I was all cool and efficiently, analyzing the polar bear."

Claire giggled "I'm sure you were Charlie."

"I was!" he said indignantly. "I made sure it was dead, I poked it." he said it so proudly, Claire couldn't laugh.

"I'm sure you you did."

Charlie nodded "I was a Big Hero."

Claire smiled. She knew Charlie was lying, but he was just doing to make her smile.

"Yes," said Charlie, standing with his hands on his hips, feet spread apart. "They all call me Charlie, Hero Man, now."

"Hey VH1-reject!" called Saywer "Some of us our trying to sleep over here!"

"Well," said Charlie over Claire's giggles as he sat down "Not everyone really appreciates a hero." Charlie sat back down.

Claire had read her entire diary, the part after the plan crashed, and she knew from her writings that Sawyer wasn't a very nice person. Maybe even a criminal.

Her eyes scanned the beach.

"What are you looking for?" asked Charlie "Rescue? Do you see anything."

"No." said Claire "Just looking at the people."

"I can tell you about anyone." said Charlie.

"Her." said Claire, refering to a red haired survivor.

"She...She has red hair. I bet she dyes it. And wears a push-up." said Charlie

"Oh, Charlie." Claire laughed

"Well, I call them as I see them."

"And what did you call me, when you saw me."

"Cute." thought Charlie "Nice. Natural Blonde."

"You didn't see me as a problem?" she asked

"No." said Charlie "Never crossed my mind at all."

"You are the only one I'm sure." said Claire "I feel like everyone is avoiding us."

"Everyone is." said Charlie "But look on the bright side, no one is bothering us either."

"Your right on that." she agreed. "Though I wish people would just look me in the eye."

"I look you in the eye." said Charlie

"I know you do, Charlie. I wish everyone else did."

"If it helps," said Charlie "For awhile, I couldn't even look myself in the eye. Couldn't look in the mirror."

"Why not?" asked Claire "If you would tell me."

Charlie gave a grim smile "That's a happy story I don't want to get into."

"Why won't you tell me anything?" asked Claire

"I don't want to upset you Claire."

"You won't Charlie."

* * *

Whatcha think? 


	2. Another Happy Story

That Happy Story

By:

LiL Pippin Padfoot

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Disclaimer: I know. Thank you reviewers! Wow! I had a lot! Fair-Ithil, thank you, I love Sawyer, and that nickname Vh1-Reject, he called Charlie that when um, that one kid, told Sawyer they were missing, he called Claire Pregnant-Chick, and Charlie was the Vh1-Reject. Brickabrack- I know, I'm amazing, really, I am.(Faramir's my fav charachter, and Sirius, and Charlie,Sawyer,and Claire. Hurly, I mean Hugo, is cool too. I hate Shannon, this little girl I baby-sit watches LOST (I know, she's so cute) we play Barbies, she always plays Claire and Charlie, she actually has a pregnant blonde Barbie, and makes me be Shannon and Boone. I am not happy about that. Sometimes I'll be Sawyer too. LoL, I love little kids.

THANK YOU ALL REVIWERS!

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Chapter 2

Another Happy Story

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Charlie and Claire were walking down the beach.

"Charlie?" Claire asked again "Please tell me how you escaped."

"Claire..." Charlie said

"You can't avoid forever." said Claire "I will keep asking. I can be very stubborn, Charlie."

Charlie smiled "So can I."

"Not as stubborn as I can be." said Claire

"I most certainly can." he said "You do not want to bet me. I tend to win. Let me remind you, on a desert island, I alone could find peanut butter."

"I don't call that stubborness." said Claire

"Hey, Dudes." said Hurley walking up. "There's some food in the caves if you want some. Jack told me to come tell everyone on the beach."

"Thanks, Hurley." said Charlie.

Charlie and Claire walked up to the path that lead to the caves, and they both stopped.

"We need to get in to go to the Caves." said Claire

"I know." said Charlie

"Maybe we should wait for everyone else." said Claire

"Good idea." said Charlie

So they waited for some other survivors and they went to the Caves.

"How are you doing Claire?" asked Jack

"Fine." said Claire

Jack nodded and walked away.

"See?" said Charlie "Not everyone is avoiding us."

Claire giggled. "He's the doctor, he has to ask."

"No," said Charlie "He doesn't. But he does."

Claire thought about it.

"Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"What, did you do, before the crash?"

"I told you, I was a rockstar."

"I know, but did you ever do anything, normal?" she asked

Charlie thought for a moment, then nodded his head. "I tried to sell photo-copiers."

Claire giggled.

"You asked." said Charlie "But, I did terrible at it. I was fired the first day."

"Why?"

"Couldn't get the bloody thing to work." he said with a smile

"It doesn't seem like a job you'd do good at. Rockstar fits you better."

"Thank you. In fact that's why I was in Australia. I was trying to get my brother Liam to rejoin the band."

"Was he..?"

"No." said Charlie "He didn't come with me. He has a wife and a little girl. Said he couldn't be a rockstar anymore."

"Oh." said Claire

"What about you?" asked Charlie "Why were you flying to L.A.?"

"I was going to give up the baby." she said "It's a long complicated story."

Charlie smiled "Another happy story to wait."

"Exactly." said Claire

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

4,8,15,16,23, 42.

Yes I am continuing!


	3. Telling

That Happy Story

By:

LiL Pippin Padfoot

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Disclaimer: This one isn't all Charlie and Claire. Uh, I don't know. I'm just trying to update I guess.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Chapter 3

Telling

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Hurley had been thinking. Her wasn't a tattletale. But Claire should know. He tried to justify it.

'Yeah, she should know that the guy she was hanging out with is a druggie.' thought Hurley.

He watched Claire, and waited till Charlie left to go get some water.

"Hey Claire." said Hurley

"Hey." she said, smiling, like she always did. "I'm sorry, but you are..."

"Hurley." he said "I want to tell you something." he said "That dude, that Charlie, do you know everything about him?"

Claire shook her head, blushing. "I can't help but trust him." she said "Almost everyone else ignores us."

Hurley nodded, he had seen that. "I have something to tell you. About Charlie."

"What?" she asked "I already know he, he, _killed_," she whispered 'killed' "Ethan."

"Besides that." Hurley said "Dude, I'm sorry, Charlie's a druggie."

"What?" asked Claire

"Dude, I said I'm sorry, Charlie told me last night. I'm sorry, Claire. I thought you should know."

Claire was quiet, she turned pale. "Thank you, Hurley." she said.

Hurley nodded and turned around and walked away. Jack came up to him.

"What did you tell her Hurley?" he demanded.

Hurley hesitated. "Charlie's a druggie." he said

Jack put his hand on his head, as if to run it through his hair, if he had any. "Hurley...why would you do that? How'd you find out?"

"Oh, Dude, you knew? And you didn't tell her? Dude, she's pregnant!"

"Exactly." said Jack "And now, Charlie...oh man." he said "Oh man."

"So, rockstars a druggie. I could have put two and two together." Sawyer sauntered up.

"What are you doing in the Caves?" asked Jack

Sawyer held up a water bottle. "I need water too."

'Likely story.' thought Jack, but didn't say. "Fine, you know. Don't tell anybody." said Jack

"And why not?" asked Saywer.

Jack sighed 'Why do I have to make all the decisions?' "Because, Charlie's clean now."

"What?" asked Hurley "I thought he was still on them!"

"Why?"asked Jack

"He told me last night. He said he was a drug addict."

"He must have gotten more." said Jack.

Charlie returned to Claire, and handed her a bottle of water. "Here you go." he said "Fresh water."

"Thank you." she said, avoiding Charlie's eyes.

"What's wrong?" asked Charlie

"Charlie, are you on drugs?"

Charlie jumped up. "Claire.." he said, at a loss for words "No! I'm not." he said "Who told you?"

"It doesn't matter." said Claire. "You didn't tell me."

"I didn't want to hurt you Claire." said Charlie "I said it, just before, we were kidnapped."

"That happy story." said Claire bitterly "What happened then Charlie?"

Just then Jack, Sawyer, and Hurley showed up.

Charlie spun around. "You." he said "You told her." he said

Hurley took a step back.

"I trusted you!" he yelled

"Charlie." said Jack "We need to talk."

"What the bloody hell?" asked Charlie "You already knew."

"Charlie, we need to talk." repeated Jack.

"Sod off." said Charlie, who then walked away.

Claire looked at them.

Jack sighed again. "We need to find him. He most likely went back to the beach."

They walked into the forrest, and ran into Locke. "Looking for Charlie?" he asked

"Yeah," said Saywer "You seen him?"

"No." said Locke "And if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

"Dude." said Hurley "Why not?"

"Because," said Locke "I don't believe he's on drugs."

"How do you know?"

Locke looked at them. "I was the first to find out Charlie was on drugs. I took them from him. He's not on them anymore."

"Well, we don't know that." said Sawyer

"I know it." said Locke "But I can tell you don't believe me. So I'll let you get on your way." And Locke slipped between some trees and disapeared.

"Let's go." Jack said.

Charlie sat on the beach. Knees up to his chin, arms holding his knees, rocking back and forth. He had his hood pulled over his head.

He was trying to think, but it wasn't working. It was as if he was on drugs again. Everything was blurring before his eyes. Everything he knew seemed to be falling out from under him. What did he do to deserve this?

"Oh, so you're back." the black lady sat down next to him.

"Yeah." said Charlie "Yeah."

"Still feeling sorry for yourself?"

"No." said Charlie "And I really don't need this right now." he said

"I think you do." she said

Charlie turned toward her. He remembered that night, when she had turned him back to God, with a prayer.

"No." he said.

"God forgives all." she said

"Men don't." said Charlie. "The reason I was like that...I used to be on drugs." said Charlie "And just Jack knew, and then I let it slip to Hurley, and some one told Claire, and now, she hates me."

"I don't think she hates you honey. She's most likely just surprised, is all."

"No," said Charlie "I've seenthatlook she gave me."

_"Why'd you take the job then, Charlie? Why?_

_"I guess, I just wanted to take care of you."_

_"You'll never take care of anyone Charlie, ever!"_

That memory was like a slap to Charlie. He squeezed his eyes shut, tryng to forget.

_"You'll never take care of anyone, Charlie, ever!"_

"I just wanted to take care of her. I, I, she's my friend." said Charlie "Used to be."

Jack, Sawyer, and Hurley emerged from the forest, and spotted Charlie rocking on the beach.

They walked up to him.

The lady had her hand on his back.

"Charlie." said Jack "Give us the drugs."

Charlie turned and stared at them, then looked away.

"I don't have any." he said

"Then why did you tell Hurley you were a drug addict?"

"I said, I was, had been, a druggie. I'm not. Though, I'm starting to wish I still had some."

"Charlie," said Jack

"Leave him alone." she said

"Ma'am, we're just trying."

"I said leave him alone." she stood up. "I think we all need to leave him alone for awhile."

"Fine." said Saywer, who spat on the ground "I got better stuff to do than this." he walked off in the direction of the raft that was being rebuilt.

Jack walked off, and Hurley was left.

"Dude, I'm sorry. Sorry for all of this. I told you, I'm bad luck."

Hurley stood there, waiting for Charlie to say something, but Charlie just stayed there, he had quit rocking, and was just staring out to some invisible location at sea. Hurley eventually gave up and walked off.

_I just wanted to take care of her. _That thought echoed through Charlie's mind.

_I just wanted to take care of her. _

_Just to prove her wrong..._

_I thought I could do it._

_I just wanted to tak care of her..._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&


	4. The Blue Eyed Girl From Down Under

That Happy Story

By:

LiL Pippin Padfoot

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Disclaimer: OMG! Brickabrack! My mom thought that too! I told her she was nuts. Charlie and Claire are SO not dead. Where do our parents get these ideas? Anyway, what did Claire do wrong? Or Locke, well, Locke's wierd. I hate him. And I mean Boone got it on with his sister! Half-sister, but still, his sister.

_"Yeah? What do I care about some pregnant girl, and a reject from VH1 hasbins?"_ - Sawyer

I think the black lady's name was Rose...

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Chapter 4

Thinking

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Charlie had been trying to figure out why. Why he had liked Claire, that is.

Charlie thought that it had been selfish of him. He had most likely only wanted to take care of Claire because of her...condition.

Charlie had been sitting on the beach, having no where else to go. He couldn't, he wouldn't, go back to the Caves, and Claire had stayed in them. He wanted to see Claire, but then again, he didn't.

Charlie sighed. This whole thing was getting to complicated. He wanted it the way it was before.

'Which before?' he asked himself. 'The Rockstar new girl every night before, or before with Claire? Eating imaginary peanut butter, talking about our lives, just being friends? Is that the before he wants?'

"Yes." he said outloud. He did want Claire back, as his friend, like she used to be. The way she used to look at him, how she laughed at all his stupid jokes, even when he had told her them before. All the things she had done.

Now, Charlie felt as if he didn't have a friend in the world.

"Here." Jack appeared at Charlie's side, and he set a bag and Charlie's guitar down. "I thought you might want these."

Charlie looked at him, then looked away. He didn't feel like talking to anyone or anything. Not even Claire, he wouldn't know what to say.

"All right." said Jack, who walked away.

Charlie picked up his guitar. He looked at it, running his fingers lightly over the strings, and the sides, all over it.

This is the only guitar he had ever owned. He had taken care of it ever since he had gotten it at age 13.

Liam had gottne new guitars almost every year, but Charlie had kept this one, it was his friend. When Liam had changed, his guitar was something of the days before.

Before. That word kept coming up. Before Driveshaft. Before Drugs. Before the Plane Crash. Before Claire. Before Ethan. Before Peanut Butter.

Charlie couldn't help wonder, would he, if Claire had known him, would he have been her friend?

Claire had been thinking as well. ack had explained to her all about Charlie saving him from the caves, about Locke taking Charlie's drugs in exchange for his guitar.

Charlie had said that he had told Claire about the drugs. Claire had squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember anything that might help her remember. Nothing. Charlie wasn't one to lie. Was he? Really, she hadn't known him. Not really. If she had, she couldn't remember him.

Night had fallen. Numerous stars shone in the clear sky. Claire watched them. She found her mind wandering to Charlie. The Charlie she knew. Would he have been as nice to her if wasn't pregnant? Would he have just dismissed her as a pretty girl. There were prettier out there, that Claire was sure of. Charlie was just trying to play hero. Deep down, Claire knew that was a lie. Charlie was being nice because that's how he is. He was nice, and sweet, and she had always felt safe with him. Even when she had first lost her memory, and had just seen him. He hadn't left her side, even when she didn't want him there, she felt like she needed him there.

Everyone was asleep so Claire thought. She wrapped the blanket around her, and stood up with some difficulty. She couldn't stay here. For some reason, the Caves felt as if she was being closed in on. Like they were walls, closing in on her.

Claire headed towards the path away.

"Where are you going?" it was the Iraqi.

"Oh," said Claire, "I was just going to, well, you know..."

The man looked at her.

How was she going to explain this.

"I have to go.."

The man blushed. "I'm sorry, I thought you were headed to the Beach. And you shouldn't go through the forest at night."

Claire nodded, and pretended to walk out to go to the bathroom, but then walked back into camp, her face was flushed. How could she be so stupid? If there was one person like Ethan there might be more. She'd have to wait till morning to go to the caves.

Rose had been ever watchful of Charlie. He had been sitting there, running his hands over his guitar. When night had started to fall, she had taken a blanket at put it over Charlie's shoulders without a word, and walked away.

Charlie continued to look out to sea, holding his guitar.

He wanted to be rescued. At one time, he hadn't. Wishing this island would go on forever and ever, and he could stay with Claire. If the rescue people found them...They would go to L.A. Charlie would go back into his old life most likely, Claire would have her baby, and be forced to give it up, and they'd never see each other again.

Charlie's hands struck a cord on his guitar without him meaning to.

He had played his guitar for Claire once. She had asked him. He had made up a silly song about a blue-eyed girl going on a journey looking for peanut-butter. Claire had giggled, and asked him to repeat it, and she had sang with him. Some of those words came back to him.

_A pretty little blue-eyed girl, searching for peanut-butter in a mixed up world._

_A pretty little blue-eyed girl, who found her peanut butter this crazy world._

It had made no sense, but Claire loved it. She thought it was cute. And she said that no one had ever written a song to her knowledge about a blue-eyed girl and peanut-butter.

Charlie smiled at that memory. The sun had shone down and they had been sitting on the beach. Charlie had gone on and on with the song, making it longer and longer, he couldn't even remember all of it now. Claire had been laughing.

"Who ever heard of a dump truck full of peanut-butter?" she'd asked him, after a particularly silly verse.

Charlie had just kept singing, and Claire had shook her head and laughed.

Charlie had tears in his eyes, that fell down his cheek and onto his guitar.

Soon dawn came, and people started to wake up.

Claire had been one of the first, she had fallen asleep eventually, but she had had a dream which she couldn't remember, but she wanted to. She was so sick of not remembering!

She looked at her diary. She hadn't read it. Not all of it. Most people thought she should've. Especially Kate. Yes, Kate had talked to her, telling her to read it, it may help her. Claire couldn't. Now she picked it up, and opened it to a random page. And this is what she read:

_Dear Diary,_

_Today was one of the best days of my life! I told Charlie I was bored, so he picked up his guitar and began strumming it. I didn't know any of the songs he was singing, so he said he'd make up one. And he did! Right on the spot. Diary, it was so cute and funny, so much like Charlie. I remember all of it. It's too long to be written down here, but I'll right a part of it, one of the silliest parts._

_'And then the blue-eyed girl was happy to see,_

_She had found a dump truck full of peanut-butter!_

_It was golden and brown, and the best bloody peanut-butter you could ever taste.'_

_You should have seen Charlie, his eyes would get big, and you could tell he was trying to be serious, but he just wanted to laugh._

_Then he started telling jokes. My side aches from all the jokes. Some of them were funny, and others were just stupid, but I laughed all the same. Why? I don't know. Even the ones that weren't funny at all, I laughed, not to be fake, but just because it was Charlie that told them_

_Charlie has a way with things you wouldn't believe. He convinced me that a empty jar was full of peanut-butter. He convinced me that the joke "What did one mushroom say to the other mushroom? You're a real fun guy! (Fungi, get it?)" was funny. I don't know why, he makes me smile and laugh. I think if we were stranded on this island forever, as long as Charlie was here, I wouldn't mind, I don't think. Not at all. _

_I have to go. Charlie is getting impatient, and acting like a little kid, trying to see what I am writing, and I won't show him. I'll write more later maybe._

Claire smiled. The Iraqi was up now.

Claire stood up, taking her diary, and headed to the path.

"Where are you going?" he asked again

Claire smiled "To do what's right." she said, and she walked down the path.

Charlie hadn't move. Not an inch. Not even when his nose had itched. Or his leg fell asleep. Not even when his fingers had ached from playing his guitar. He had played it all night. That same tune he had made up for Claire.

It was morning, and everyone was up and wlaking around, a few people, he didn't know them, and came and listened, two of them even danced, but they realized he wasn't playing for them.

'How concieted they were.' Charlie thought 'I'm not playing for them. I don't know them. I'm playing for Claire. For what I used to know. What I thought I knew.'

Just then he heard something behind him. He thought maybe the dancers had returned, and he ignored it, until it began singing.

"_And then the blue-eyed girl was happy to see,_

_She had found a dump truck full of peanut-butter!_

_It was golden and brown, and the best bloody peanut-butter you could ever taste_!"

Charlie jumped up, his guitar falling off his knees. "Claire." he said

She smiled, then frowned. "Charlie," she said "I'm so sorry."

"I am too."

"For what?" asked Claire

"I don't know, but I am sorry."

Claire laughed. It made Charlie's heart soar to see Claire smile and laugh again.

"Will you sing me that song?" asked Claire "You know, you neve came up with an ending."

"I didn't?" asked Charlie.

"No." said Claire

"Well," he said slowly, "I'll have to fix that."

Charlie sat back down, facing Claire, and she sat down facing him. He began to hum and then strum his guitar.

"_There was a pretty little blue-eyed girl from down under,_

_Who got lost one day while searching for her peanut-butter._

_She thought for sure that once she found it, her journey would end, but it only started all over again..."_

And Claire and Charlie burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" asked Hurley walking over.

"Charlie can't end his song." said Claire "It just goes back to the begining."

"Not even." said Charlie. "I don't remember all of it either."

They began laughing again.

Hurley just shook his head, and wlaked away. He was happy that they were happy again.

Anyone that came on the beach that day would see people dancing, Claire sitting and laughing, Charlie hopping up and down and singing some crazy song about a pretty blue-eyed girl from down under.

That was the sight that greeted Jack, Kate, and Sayid.

"What's going on?" Sayid asked Shannon

Shannon shook her head. "I don't know. Charlie's had been playing all night, but it was like really sad, and then Claire showed up, and he began singing and laughing, and soon everyone was dancing. Wanna join?"

Sayid was a bit unsure, but Shannon dragged him out, and they began dancing.

Jack and Kate were laughing. Hurley was head banging, Locke was pretending to play an air guitar, and imitate Charlie, but Charlie, being younger had a definet advantage to jumping up and down, then landing on his knees.

Rose was on the side, clapping along with others. Micheal was dancing with Vincent, and everyone was just having fun.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Brickabrack - You are the only one! That guessed the number thingamaggier.

Okay, so guess what you get! You get a pink post-it that says, 'Orly B is a HOBBET! MWA HA HA TOKEN SUX!" Yeah, my brother wrote it, and I am getting sick of looking at it. So you can have it!


	5. A Name More Suited for a Dog

That Happy Story

By:

LiL Pippin Padfoot

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Disclaimer: YEA! Claire had her baby, Claire had her baby...Wonder what she's going to name it?

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Chapter 5

A Name More Suited For a Dog

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"What made you forgive me?" asked Charlie

It had been a few days after Claire had her baby that Charlie asked her that.

Claire shrugged. "I don't even know myself Charlie. I just missed you."

"I missed you too."

Claire picked her baby out of the cradle that Locke had made for her.

"Do you want to hold him? Do you know how?"

Charlie smiled. "I have a niece, Megan. My brother Liam's little girl."

"I'll take that as a yes." she handed him her baby.

Charlie rocked him back and forth as he opened his eyes.

"What is it with Australians and their perfect blue eyes?" he asked

Claire giggled "I think they're cute."

"They are, just, they're so blue."

"That's a bad thing?"

"Definitly not. It makes him the cutest baby on the island."

"The only baby on the island." she corrected

"And the cutest." added Charlie

"And the cutest." said Claire

Charlie handed him back to Claire. He started to cry, and Claire gave him back.

"How do you like that?" she said "He likes you better than me."

"Be good to your mother." said Charlie to the baby. On an after thought, Charlie said to Claire "What are you going to name him?"

"I don't know." admited Claire "I was going to name him Thomas, after his father, but after Thomas left me, I couldn't name him that. I was thinking about Boone..."

"Don't." said Charlie "Trust me, I feel bad about Boone and all, but really, Boone is a name more suited to dogs, don't you think?"

"I guess." said Claire

"But he is your baby." said Charlie

"Exactly. So if I want to name him Charlie..."

"Which you won't."

"Which I won't, but I could if I wanted to."

"But you won't. Will you?"

"No. But Charlie, can I ask you something?"

"Anything Claire."

"When I come up with a name, will you be his godfather?"

Charlie was shocked. "Claire..." he said "I'm not the best role model. I am not the guy to look up to."

"Who else would I pick?" she asked

"Kate would be good. She delivered him." said Charlie, thinking. "Or Locke, he gave you that nice little cradle. You know, Jin can teach him to fish, Jack is a doctor. Sawyer...can teach him to be sneaky..."

Charlie went on and on, and Claire laughed.

"No, no, no." she said "Charlie, I want you to do it. But, only if you want to."

"I do." said Charlie "But, I just don't want him to grow up and be like me."

"What?" she asked "Like a sweet guy that takes care of 'pregnant girl' even after she has her baby?"

"No, like the way I was before."

"Charlie." said Claire "I trust you. I know you wouldn't do that. Would you?"

"No! I would never do that."

"Then we have nothing to worry about." she said "Only if you want to."

"Fine," said Charlie, handing the baby back to Claire, then standing up, striking a hero pose. Then he paused, looked down at Claire.

"Claire?"

"Yes, Charlie?"

"What do godfathers do, besides kill people?"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I of course, was referring to the movie _The Godfather_.


	6. A Constant

That Happy Story

By:

LiL Pippin Padfoot

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Disclaimer: "Nothing quite ruins the tast of peanut butter than unrequited love." - Charlie Brown

Gotta love good ol' Charlie Brown...and peanut butter.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Chapter 6

A Constant

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Claire had to laugh whenever some other survivor came over to see the baby and reminisce on their own, or their brothers or sisters, or distance counsins twice removed as babies.

But she didn't laugh at that. She laughed at how Charlie would introduce himself as "Charlie, The Cutest Baby's Godfather."

Claire tried to hide her smile. She couldn't tell sometimes if Charlie did it to make her laugh, or if he really was like that. She was fairly sure it was just that Charlie was like that.

Some survivors stopped by more often than others.

For instance, Hurley liked making faces, just to see him laugh.

Jack would come by and claim to be, and she quotes "Making sure everythings fine", but she saw how he loved playing with her son.

Sawyer seemed to be a nicer person, he even apologized for swearing within earshot of Claire and her baby. Even though Claire swore that Sawyer was trying to teach him to say "Hell yeah!" And Sawyer, being the only sole owner of books on the island, would every now and then stop by and read a book to Claire and her baby, claiming he didn't want any one to touch his books.

Even with the steady flow of people to see the baby, Charlie was a constant.

Claire's memory was still a bit shotty, what she did was blurred and unreconizable. Except Charlie.

At first, Claire had thought maybe it was because he had been around her so much. Jack had told her that her mind can create memories, things that didn't happen. But as Claire watched Charlie, this former rockstar, playing Pee-ka-boo with a baby, Claire decided that Charlie was for real.

"Aw, little things tired, aren't you?" asked Charlie to the yawning baby. "Aren't you?" he said, his face right in front of the baby's.

"Claire," he said "I think he's tired."

Claire smiled. "I'll put him to bed then." after a moment, she paused and said "Would you like to do it, Charlie?"

"Would I?" he said, trying not to hide the excitement in his voice.

Claire had heard that there was nothing like a baby to turn grown men into babies, but this made her really believe it.

Claire tried to stifle her laughter as Charlie attempted to sing 'Rock-a-bye Baby', apparently, ballads were not this Rockstar's sort of thing.

Soon, Charlie came back and sat down by Claire.

"Is Charlie short for Charles?" she asked.

"Yes." said Charlie "But you are never to speak of the name Charles again."

"Why?"

"Too stuffy of a name. It's more suiting for a lawyer, or a political figure. That's why my mother gave Liam and I upstanding names. Charles and Liam Pace. Destined to be lawyers, political figures, or police men. Not Rockstars."

"So was your mother disappointed?" Claire asked

"Nah." said Charlie. "At least, not until after we got our first gig, and used some of our money to buy her a car. Her old one was a real clunker. Absolute trash. So after that, she sort of left us alone, saying it was our life."

"My mother would have killed me." said Claire. "In fact, she would have. She was so angry at me when I told her..." Claire's voice trailed off as she thought. "She was single mother herself. She told me Thomas would leave, and I didn't listen."

"Don't worry." said Charlie. "I didn't listen to my mother and I turned out all right." he said

"Besides the fact that you are stuck on an island, right?"

"That's true." said Charlie. "But she's not the reason I was on a flight to L.A. My mum died years ago."

"I'm sorry." said Claire.

Charlie just shook his head. "It's all right."

"I never liked my mother." said Claire "We always argued. I was her only daughter, so she felt she needed to follow me every waking second. I promise not to do that to my little one."

"You might need to." said Charlie "As Hurley would say 'There could be some pissed off giraffe out there."

Claire giggled at Charlie's imitation of the American, Hurley. Charlie's British accent got in the way, and made it sound even funnier.

"Oh Charlie." said Claire

"What?" he asked.

"You always know how to make me laugh, even when I want to cry."

"You wanted to cry? What'd I do?" asked Charlie.

Claire shook her head. "I didn't want to cry, but there were times...before. When I couldn't remember anything. And you were just there. I mean, I was frustrated to tears, I just wanted to break down...and then I remembered you and peanut butter. For some ungodly reason peanut butter! It would drive me nearly crazy at night, thinking, and wondering. 'why peanut butter? why you?'"

"Are you implying that you would have preferred Jack or Boone?"

Claire blushed. "No, not really..."

"I know I'm not the cutest thing on the island, but still, Boone?"

"I didn't say Boone." said Claire "You said Boone."

Charlie snorted. "Well, I want you to know, at my concerts, just as many people were yelling 'Charlie' as they were 'Liam'."

"I know they were." said Claire. "I would have been one of them."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Thank you for lying."

"You're welcome."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Chels, what does D.C. stand for?"

"Declaration of Independance."

"Chelsea?"

"I'm an idiot." - Chelsea not knowing what the D.C. in Washington D.C. stood for.


	7. Snip Snip

That Happy Story

By:

LiL Pippin Padfoot

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Disclaimer: "Don't talk to me, I'm grumpy and I'll probably make fun of you." - Effie, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Chapter 7

Snip Snip

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Claire observed Charlie's long mop of blond/brown hair.He kept shaking his head, like a dog, to get his hair out of his eyes, or he'd blow up, but that only made the hair float for a moment then fall back down.

"Let me cut your hair." said Claire.

"What?" asked Charlie, caught off guard.

"I'll cut your hair." said Claire. "I used to be a hairstylist."

Charlie looked at Claire. "My mum used to cut my hair." he said. "Nearly chopped my ear off once."

"I promise I won't." said Claire. "Unless you wiggle, then it's your own fault."

So Charlie went off for a moment, and returned with a pair of scizzors.

"Sawyer." he said "That bloke's got every bloody thing under the sun."

Claire smiled. "Allright, just sit down."

Charlie settled in the sand, guitar in his hand, sitting in front of Claire's baby, Turnip Head.

Claire began cutting his hair. Charlie always hated this part, you know, when they're cutting your hair, and it falls on your nose, and you begin twitching because it's itchy. Yeah, not comfortable.

Charlie's fingers strummed his guitar.

Turnip Head gugled. Charlie did it again. T.H. laughed, and Charlie smiled, and strummed his guitar.

"Charlie, If you keep moving, I'm going to cut your ear off!" warned Claire

Charlie sat up straight, and tried to sit still. But eventually his boredom took over.

"I call this Track Number Two," he told T.H. "Monster Eats the Pilot!"

"Charlie!" said Claire.

"What?" asked Charlie

"I don't know if I want my son to hear that, and you keep squirming! I almost done."

Charlie sat up straight for two minutes as Claire finished up. "There."

"Allright." said Charlie. "Track Number Three, Running from the Monster that Ate the Pilot."

Claire stiffled a giggle. "Okay," admitted Charlie. "I just wrote the songs, Liam named them. I don't come up with titles. I only named one song."

"What song?"

"Hey You All Everybody." said Charlie

Claire nodded. "Nice title."

"That was our top seller." said Charlie. "Even Kate knows it."

"How'd Kate know?" asked Claire. "Isn't she from the States, and you're from England?"

"Well," said Charlie. "I want you to know, that we were best-sellers...world renown."

"Not to hurt your feelings Charlie, but I have never heard of Driveshaft until I met you."

"That's okay." said Charlie. "I didn't peg you for Rock'n'Roll anyway. Okay, unto Track Number Four, The Pregnant Chick Collapses."

"Not funny Charlie." said Claire.

"Fine...Very Cute, But Very Pregant Chick Collapses and Very Handsome Rockstar Carries Her."

Claire smiled. "Okay, so make me sound fat. I don't care."

"You?" said Charlie. "Fat? Never. Well..."

Claire acted like she was going to slap Charlie.

"Ah, Chief get in trouble with his sqaw?" asked Sawyer.

"Here's your scizzors, thank you Sawyer." said Claire, handing him his scizzors.

"You're welcome." said Sawyer, who walked away.

"There." said Claire. "Your hair looks much better."

"Thank you." said Charlie, running his hand over his newly trimmed mop.

"I've been thinking." he said, leaning over a piece of paper that he had been scrawling songs on. "I really need to write down the lyrics to 'The Blue-Eyed Girl from Down Under'."

Claire laughed.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"I want some Lemonade."

"Out of Order."

"Why's it out of order?"

"I tried to buy Parmesean Cheese." - Me, Katie, and Chelsea. (in that order, except, I said 'why's it out of order')


	8. Relax

That Happy Story

By:

LiL Pippin Padfoot

* * *

Disclaimer: "I've learned so many things from this class...lots of new jokes...who the hott guys on LOST are...lyrics to songs I never knew, or I thought I knew...this class has taught me so much. Especially patience." - Mrs. A, giving out the 'Mrs. A Awards!', LoL, loved the LOST part. 

"Mrs. A had an 8th grade class, minds your P's and Q's, in that class there was Paige, Charlie, Boone, and LOST..." - My lyric in our 8th grade song, Thank you Sevies!

BTW, I do not own anything having to do w/ LOST, nor am I earning any money. Damn.

* * *

Chapter 8 

Relax

* * *

Claire was at her wit's end. And Charlie was trying to help. Emphasis on_ trying_. 

"I'm sorry Charlie!" she finally yelled at him. "No one taught me how to do this! I don't know what to do!" That silenced Charlie for a moment, and Claire turned red about her outburst.

"Well," said Charlie. "Then we'll learn together."

"I'm so sorry." Claire said. "It's just, everythings going wrong, and I just feel like sitting down and crying along with him."

"That's okay." said Charlie. "Everyone needs a good cry once in awhile. Just let me help you."

Claire nodded, and Charlie went off to do something helpful, then he turned around, and looked at Claire. "Relax." he said.Claire smiled. She took a deep breath, and proceeded to change her baby.

Charlie ran up to Sayid. "Sayid," said Charlie.

"Yes?" asked Sayid, who wondered why Charlie wasn't helping Claire.

"Give me a gun, Sayid. I need to protect Claire."

"Last time you had a gun, you killed a man."

"I killed a muderer! I did us all good!"

Sayid just shook his head. Charlie would have never made a good soldier. He lived through his heart, and got to deep into things."No, Charlie." he picked up his things. "You want to help Claire? You want to protect her? Carry her child and get her to the caves." and with that, he walked away.

Charlie went back and began helping Claire, making a "Beorn", which in Dutch means 'baby carrier'.

"Oh Charlie!" said Claire. "Thank you!" she kissed him on the cheek, and Charlie blushed and got a flustered sort of grin on his face.

Just then, Claire noticed a lady come out of the forest. She was rather frightening looking, with long tangled black/brown hair. Her eyes and in just the way that she walked sort of swerving and uneavenly, gave Claire the impression that this lady was not all there. She picked T.H. up, and held him close. Charlie put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry." he whispered. 'Do I looked worried?' Claire thought, she decided she must look worried, but Charlie's hand on her shoulder was reasuring, even though she didn't know why she was worried. She took a deep breath.

"Where is Sayid?" she asked, in a frenzy. "I need Sayid!"

"Okay!" said Charlie. "I'll get Sayid." Claire gave Charlie a pleading look, but being a guy, he didn't notice and ran out into the forest.

Suddenly she didn't look so frazzled anymore. "Your baby?" she asked

Claire nodded, pulling T.H. closer. "Yeah."

"What is his name?"

"I haven't named him yet." said Claire

"Ah." she said, her eyes focused on T.H. "Can I hold the baby?"

Claire pulled T.H. so close that he cried. Claire loosened her grip. "No, I, I just fed him." she said, "I don't think it'd be a good idea. You know babies, always spitting up." She patted T.H. on the back, to prove her point, and then slowly started stepping away from her, glancing over her shoulder, hoping Charlie would materialize out of the jungle, Sayid in tow.

"You do not want me to hold the baby?" Claire noticed she spoke differently. Granted, everyone on the island spoke differently. She, with her Australian accent, Charlie with his British accent, Hurly and his American, Sawyer with his Deep South, and Sayid with his Iraqi accent. But hers, her accent was like nothing she had heard before. It was as if she been on the island so long that the island had given her a strange accent.

"No!" said Claire. "I mean, no, I told you, he just ate, I don't want him to get sick all over you."

She extended her arm, and Claire saw the scratches, and she saw the hazy image of scratching her. "How?" asked Claire. "How? When did I do that to you?" Roussoue pretended to sink to her knees in tears, but her hands closed around a rock. She hid it behind her back. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I can tell I have." Claire took another step back, but she stepped toward Claire. Claire thought she heard something in the jungle, and turned, hoping to see Charlie, she heard the thump as something hit the back of her head, she her T.H. cry, then everything turned into swirling darkness.

Charlie ran. He didn't trust that woman. Sayid had tried to convince everyone to call her 'Danielle' but Charlie thought of her as 'That Woman'. "SAYID!" Charlie yelled. He had always been yelled at as a child for not using his 'inside voice'. Boy, was he damn glad that he didn't listen to his teachers, and that he had Liam to yell and argue with. "SAYID!" he yelled again, as he ran past a line of people who were sniggering at how he was running. Well, how would they run if they had a backpack and a Beorn strapped to them? "SAYID!" Charlie yelled, suddenly noticing him. Sayid turned around, as did Shannon. "That Wo- Danielle is at the caves, she said she needed you." Charlie said breathlessly.

"Go on." said Sayid, and the line moved, and Sayid took off running toward the beach, Charlie following him. They were almost to beach when they heard a scream for help. Charlie stopped. That wasn't Claire's voice. Claire. Turnip Head. He ran after Sayid. Charlie gasped as he saw Sun holding a white cloth that was bloodstained to a crying Claire's head.

Charlie ran over to the baby's cradle. Gone. Charlie's eyes got wide. He threw his arms up, and his eyes got big. This wasn't happening. Claire was wailing in the backround, and Sayid and Sun were talking, and Charlie wasn't processing any of this. He needed to get Turnip Head back.

"I told you to give me a gun!" Charlie punched Sayid, who quickly revocered and grabbed Charlie's face. "You will not do that again." Charlie took a deep breath, and Sayid released him.

"Danielle has a head start, but if we leave right now we can catch her."

"We don't know where the bloody hell she went!" Charlie said

"I know where she went." Sayid headed off to the the jungle, Charlie looked back at Claire who was sobbing on Sun's shoulder, and he followed Sayid.

* * *

"Austin, are you straight now?" (referring to his sillhoutte Mrs. S was hanging.) 

"Yeah, I'm straight now."

"Were you ever straight, Austin?" - BURRRRRRRRRRN, Rock on Forsyth's mom!


	9. He Loves Her

That Happy Story

By:

LiL Pippin Padfoot

* * *

Disclaimer: "Romeo, oh Romeo, where art thou, Romeo?" - Romeo and Juliet

* * *

Chapter 9

He Loves Her

* * *

Sayid raced into the jungle with the silver case that had the guns in it. He stopped and opened the case.

"Here." he handed Charlie a gun. "Don't make it personal." said Sayid.

"She's a nut job." said Charlie. "Why would she take Claire's baby?"

"She's going to make a trade. She's going to the black smoke, and try to get her daughter back."

"That's sick." said Charlie. "It doesn't make sense."

"Don't try to apply sense to her actions. She's a mother who lost her child. Just like Claire." Sayid looked at Charlie. Soldiers were taught to know their enemy, but not to _know _their enemy. If you want to stop some one form killing, give your enemy a human face. That's what Sayid was trying to do to Charlie. Get Charlie to realize that Danielle had been alone to long to understand anything sane. That Claire would do anything to get her son back, as Danielle would do to get Alex back.

Just then Sayid heard someone or something coming toward them, Claire burst through the underbursh with Sun right behind her.

"I'm coming with you." she said. Sayid noticed that there were still tears running down her face.

"Claire..." Charlie was trying to get her to not come with them.

"Don't tell me what to do!" she yelled. "It's my baby!" and Sayid watched as Claire hit at Charlie and yelled at him, and how Charlie just stood there and took it. "Shhh." Charlie had Claire enveloped in a hug now, and she was sobbing harder then ever. "Get him back Charlie." she said. "Get Aaron back." Charlie looked taken aback. "Aaron?" he said. "I'll get Aaron back Claire, I promise." After seeing that, all Sayid could think was 'He loves her.'.

"We need to go." said Sayid, Charlie looked at Claire one last time, and then followed Sayid.

Sun put her arm around Claire's shoulder, and lead her back to the beach, and packed her things. Sun enlisted the help of another survivor to carry Aaron's cradle. Claire held a bag of her things in one hand, Sun had a bag her one hand, but her other arm was holding onto Claire. Sun felt if she let go of Claire, Claire might fall apart.

When they got to the caves, Sun sat Claire down, and went to make her something to eat.

Charlie and Sayid raced throught the jungle. Sayid worried for a moment when he thought he had lost Charlie. Sayid wished he could've ran slower, so Charlie could have caught up with him, but Charlie had never been in great shape, and the slower they ran, the longer it'd take to catch Danielle.

"I'm over here!" Sayid called, and Charlie came running. They began to take it at a slower pace, and they broke into a slight clearing, where there was a blanket set on some rocks under a tree.

"Aaron!" and Charlie raced forward.

"No! Charlie!" Sayid went to stop Charlie, but it was too late, Charlie had picked up the blanket, it had been a trap. Rocks fell from the top of the tree, hitting Charlie.

Sayid raced over, and Charlie's face was covered in blood. He lifted up Charlie's head. The cut on it was too deep. Sayid knew right away that he couldn't stop it. "Here, put pressure on it." he handed Charlie a piece of a ripped up t-shirt that was being used as bandages. "It's too deep." Sayid said. "You have to go back, Charlie."

"No!" Charlie sputtered. "I won't."

"The cut is too deep! I'll go on and get back Aaron."

"I told her I'd bring him back, and I'll die before I go back without him."

"The cut is too deep." Sayid repeated

"So?" asked Charlie. "You are soldier! What do you do when you get injured?"

Sayid thought of the crude way soldiers without a doctor near by to stitch the wound would stop it.

"Okay." said Sayid. "This will hurt, and it won't be pretty. But you asked for it, yes?" Charlie nodded, and Sayid pulled out a bullet, popped it open, tipped Charlie's head back, and dumped the gunpowder in the wound.

"AH!" Charlie yelled, trying to move away, but Sayid had a firm grip, and with his other hand, he pulled out a match, and struck it.

"This is because I hit you, isn't it?" Charlie asked right before Sayid lit the gun powder on fire, melting it, forming a metal bandage. As soon as Sayid lit it, he jumped ontop of Charlie's waist, holding him down, as he writhed and cursed everything under the sun. Everything except Claire and Aaron.

"Here. I made you some soup." Sun handed Claire a bowl of soup.

"No, I can't. I couldn't." said Claire, shaking her head. 'I can't eat while Charlie is out there rescuing my baby, which was kidnapped, and who knows whats going on. What if Charlie or Sayid dies? What if Aaron dies? Oh, god.' Claire's thoughts intertwined to one thing. 'What if they die?'. But yet, Claire was hungry, not eating anything this morning, and the soup did smell good.

"Don't punish yourself." said Sun. "You are hungry, and you should eat. Be strong for when Charlie and Sayid return with Aaron."

Clarie nodded mutely and accepted the soup. "What makes you so sure that they will come back?" asked Claire.

"He promised he would." said Sun

"Yeah?" said Claire. "Thomas promised too. Promises are easily broken."

"Claire," Claire looked Sun in the eyes. "If Charlie says he will bring back Aaron, he will bring him back."

"How do you know?"

"I see it in his eyes, and I don't know how you don't." said Sun. "He loves you Claire, and maybe you don't realize it, or you've been hurt to much to know it, but when he promises to do something for you, he does it."

That silenced Claire, and she just sat there, sipping her soup, now with another repeating thought, this one happy in a bittersweet way:

_He Loves Me._

* * *


	10. Forever

That Happy Story

By:

LiL Pippin Padfoot

* * *

Disclaimer: "Wow, I wonder what it would be like to have a difficult life?" - Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter 10

Forever

* * *

"Aaron is such a pretty name." commented Sun "What does it mean?"

Claire shrugged. She had heard the name a long time ago, and thought it to be a wonderful name, and truthfully Claire had been afraid of naming her baby. She had thought, naming something gets you attached to it, if she just called it 'Baby' it stayed just that. A baby, not her son. But then Charlie started to call it Turnip Head, and unless she wanted the poor boy to go around with that forever, she had to name him. No one but Claire knew Aaron's full name was Aaron Charles. She hadn't even told Charlie yet. If Charlie ever returned with Aaron. "I don't know what it means." said Claire

"Oh." said Sun. Just then, Shannon came, dropping her bags on the ground, Sun noticed that almost half were Boone's things. Shannon collapsed on the natural stone step, next to Claire.

Claire was hugging her knees, something she hadn't been able to do for months, and she was staring striaght into the jungle, night had fallen, and the fire was blazing, and it seemed as if no warmth had reached Claire, as if she was living in her own world of darkness, coldness, a world where almost no light filtered. _Come back Charlie, bring back Aaron. _When ever she thought of Aaron or Charlie, she felt almost happy, thinking about Charlie trying to sing to Aaron, about the song Charlie had written about her. About the night she had Aaron, and how Charlie had been there, quietly waiting if Claire needed him. And she realized she did. She couldn't do this on her own. Charlie helped her more than he'd ever think. Without Charlie, Claire would've broke down long before Aaron was born. _Bring back Aaron Charlie._ Claire thought desperatly. _Both of you come back._

Charlie's head hurt like a son-of-gun, but that didn't matter. He'd had hangovers this bad, and this still didn't beat his withdrawl. He was following Sayid, who had sped up, but at a much slower pace. Night was falling, and they could see the smoke, and Charlie could smell the smoke. It had a familiar smell, something he had smelled before, but he couldn't place it.

Sayid stopped abrupty. "The beach is just ahead," Sayid derw his gun, and Charlie did likewise. "Don't make it personal." Sayid repeated.

They stepped out of the jungle, and there was a giant torch-like structure, with a tire burning in it. That was the smell, it was the smell of burning rubber.

"Danielle!" yelled Sayid. "We know you are here! The baby needs its mother!" The jungle was quiet.

"Aaron!" Charlie called, knowing that it was just a baby, but hoping..hoping..

There was a wail. "Danielle!" called Sayid. "We can hear the baby, come out!"

Danielle slowly walked from the jungle, holding Aaron in his blanket. He was crying, and she was rocking him gently. Charlie noticed she was crying, but pity didn't stir easily in Charlie.

"Give me the baby." Sayid said gently to Danielle.

"I thought-," she started, choking on her tears. "I thought if I brought the baby, they'd give me back my Alex. They said they were coming for the boy, the child. But they weren't here!"

"Shhh. Give me the baby, Danielle." and with a sob, she handed the crying Aaron to Sayid. Charlie put his gun away, and Sayid gently gave Aaron to Charlie, and right away he quit crying.

"You're sick." said Charlie, looking at Danielle. "You don't deserve to live." and Charlie and Sayid walked away, leaving Danielle sobbing alone on the beach. They quickly made their way back through the jungle to the caves. As soon as they saw the fire burning, Charlie's already large grin, widened as he saw Claire sitting there.

People stopped and stared as Charlie, with his forehead cut open, and Sayid with his arm around Charlie's shoulders, and Charlie smiling down at Aaron aproached the caves.

"Claire." said Sun. "Look." Claire turned, and she thought her heart would burst. There was Charlie holding Aaron, walking toward her. She ran to Charlie, wrapping her arms around his neck, then taking Aaron from him.

"Aaron." she said, tears sliding down her cheeks. "I thought I'd lost you." Sayid walked around to the water fountain, and splashed cool water on his face. It had been a long day.

He looked over and Shannon was running toward him, her eyes filled with tears. She ran into his arms, and was crying. "I didn't know if you would come back." she sobbed. "Claire was acting so...I don't know, it was like you had already been killed."

"I wasn't killed." said Sayid. "Neither was Charlie or Aaron."

"Aaron?"

"Claire's baby." Shannon pulled away from Sayid, trying to mantain some composure.

"Well, it's about time she called it something besides Turnip Head." Sayid smiled.

Claire never wanted to put Aaron down, but he was getting sleepy, so she put him in his cradle, and he fell fast asleep. And for the first time she got to look at Charlie. "How did that happen?" she asked, touching his forehead. "Ah, it was nothing." he said. "You know me, fending off polar bears, evil women, and saving the day. It's nothing." Claire smiled. "I'll be right back, Charlie." she said.

"Sun?"

"Yes, Claire?"

"Do you know something I put on Charlie's forehead?" Sun nodded, and picked up some herbs she had dried.

"Put these in some water, and just gently clean his wound." she said also giving Claire a cloth, and Claire nodded.

"Sun?" Sun looked at Claire. "Thank you. For, for everything." Sun just smiled. "You're welcome."

Claire went back to Charlie, and taking the cloth, and started to wipe at Charlie's wound.

"Ah!" he said. "What is that? Peroxide?" he asked, wincing.

"No, but after making me worry so much, I wish I had some." said Claire teasingly.

"You shouldn't of worried." said Charlie seriously.

"Sun made me realize that." said Claire.

"What did Sun say?" asked Charlie, wincing again as Claire gently cleaned his wound.

"She told me," Claire blushed. "She told me that you promised me you would bring Aaron back, and that I should know you would because you..." Claire trailed off

"Because I what?" asked Charlie, smiling, and Claire looked into his eyes, and she realized that Sun was right, Charlie's eyes were looking at her, and they were filled with love.

"That you love me." she said quietly.

Charlie was quiet. "That Sun..." he said, and Claire instantly blushed again, thinking that she had been right earlier, Charlie didn't love her.

"...Last time I confide in someone I don't think speaks the same language."

"Oh, Charlie!" said Claire, and she playfully hit him.

"What?" he asked. "You aren't going to scream at me too?"

Claire laughed. "Sorry about that. I was just so,so, worried."

"I know." said Charlie. "I was too."

"The mighty warrior Charlie, worried?"

"Believe it or not." said Charlie. "I was worried that I wouldn't get Turni- Aaron, back, and that you'd never look at me agian. And that would've killed me just as much as losing Aaron would've."

Claire realized something that she supposed her heart had realized but her brain hadn't recieved the memo. Charlie loved Aaron as if it wasn't just Claire's baby... he loved Aaron as much as Thomas should've loved Aaron.

"You know, Charlie," she said. "I'm starting to think that maybe when this plane crashed it wasn't a bad thing."

"Why is that?" asked Charlie.

"I would've never met you." she said. "And now that I do, if we ever get rescued, I don't think I could ever let you go, because that would kill me just as fast as if I had lost Aaron."

"Then I guess I'll stick around for awhile." said Charlie

"Promise you'll stick around forever." said Claire.

"I promise." said Charlie. And Charlie couldn't break a promise to Claire.

* * *


	11. Prelude to Destruction

That Happy Story

By:

LiL Pippin Padfoot

* * *

Disclaimer: PEANUT BUTTER!

* * *

_Chapter 12_

_Prelude to Self-Destruction_

* * *

"Hey, I'm going for a walk."

"Okay, Charlie." Said Claire

Charlie walked out into the jungle and rummaged around in his backpack till he found it.

His hand clasped around the statue. It was cold to the touch. He looked at it with utter hatred for himself. Why had he taken it?  
He didn't need drugs. He closed his eyes, and saw Claire and Aaron. Why had he taken it?

_It was a sign._

No, it's not. It's a test, a test I'm not going to fail.

_It's not a test, Charlie, just take them…_

Charlie shook his head, clearing the voices. He shoved it back in his backpack, and headed back into camp.

"Short walk." Commented Claire

"Looks like it might rain, you know?" said Charlie, shrugging off his backpack. "Didn't want to get too far out and get poured on."

Claire glanced up at the sky. Not a cloud in sight. She shrugged it off, and paid attention to Aaron, who was now crying.

"Could you…?" Claire offered Aaron to Charlie, who took him happily.

"Do you have any water, Charlie?" asked Claire

"Um, yeah, there should be a bottle in my bag." Charlie started making faces at the now cooing Aaron. Wait…in my bag. Charlie froze as Claire's hand rummaged through Charlie's bag.

"What's this?" she pulled out the statue of the Virgin Mary.

"What? Oh that, I found it, you know, when Sayid and I went past the plane, where Boone died."

"I never knew you were religious, Charlie." Not a lot of people do, Charlie thought, remembering when Jack had said it to him.

"I'm not, not really." Said Charlie "I just thought…it might be nice, you know?"

Claire nodded. "Sure. I understand."

Charlie nodded, taking a deep breath.

He couldn't hide this from Claire forever….

* * *

Sorry it's so short, the next chapter will be longer, I swear. 


End file.
